Editor,

RE: "States press France on Rwandan genocidaires” (The New Times, January 16). France’s role in the Genocide against the Tutsi was not merely ‘tragic’, which implies an unfortunate but unintended consequence. It was a fully premeditated crime. Which is why, having lost in its efforts to keep Rwanda within its pré-carré at all costs, including genocide, France now finds itself in a classic dilemma; whether it continues to shield its génocidaire allies from justice or lets justice takes its course, its own role and that of key French officials and agents will come into the spotlight. 

In the end, France seems to be caught in the headlights, like a deer, frozen in place unable to jump this or that way, the only difference from the deer only being it’s hope, power and the solidarity of its allies vis-à-vis the victim country will enable it to continue to brazen it out.

Rwanda can prove its bona fide efforts in promoting justice and human rights related to equitable trials of Genocide suspects all it wants, but this will not move France, as its dilemma is internally-generated, even though it is related to its acts outside France.

Paris would love nothing better than to dispose of the genocide albatross around its neck the way it has done with its soldiers’ sexual abuse of young children in the Central African Republic; just close the issue without further ado. Unfortunately for France and fortunately for justice, today’s Rwanda is not the Central African Republic, and sooner or later France will be obliged to account for its role in the Genocide against the Tutsi.

Mwene Kalinda